Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty
“The easy thing to do would be to stay home and cry all day,” said Steve. “That’s the easy way. We have to step up and try to help in any way we can.”
Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty
“When your kids go away to college, you are in the dark,” Gina said. “You do not get any information regarding your children.”
“If we had received just baseline information, then we would’ve stepped in, and perhaps, this would’ve been prevented,” said Steve, emphasizing, “If we had known one thing.”
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“I think there’s a greater purpose,” Gina explained through tears. “We have to make something good come out of this tragedy, so if we’re going to be the ones who step up, we’re going to be the ones to make some changes — that’s how I feel.”
To help all college students in honor of their daughter, Steve and Gina recently launchedKatie’s Save, “a movement for change in our University system” and “a mission to support students navigating dynamics of campus life that may be complicated with added pressures of academics, sports, performing arts and other activities.”
The Katie’s Save movement’s “initial effort for change is to implement a University Policy designed to offer students an option to enable and require the university/college to send a notification to a Designated Advocate regarding instances when the student is involved in a situation that could evolve into challenging circumstances where they may need guidance and support.”
The goal of the movement is to ensure the safety and well-being of all college students.
RELATED VIDEO: Parents of Stanford Soccer Star Katie Meyer Open Up About Her Death: ‘Worst Nightmare’
In aprevious interview withTodayjust days after Katie’s death, Steve told the outlet his daughter “was defending a teammate on campus over an incident and the repercussions of her defending that teammate (were possibly resulting in disciplinary action).”
Gina also said her daughter “had been getting letters for a couple months” regarding the potential disciplinary action, and that the most recent correspondence “was kind of the final letter that there was going to be a trial or some kind of something.”
“This is the only thing that we can come up with that triggered something,” she said, musing further, “Thereis anxiety and there is stressto be perfect, to be the best, to be No. 1.”
In astatement to theTodayshow, Stanford University said, “We are not able to share information about confidential student disciplinary matters. We as a university community continue to grieve with Katie’s family and cherish our memories of her.”
Katie, the goalkeeper and captain of the Stanford women’s soccer team, was 22 years old when she was found dead in her dorm room on March 1.
“There is no indication of foul play, and Meyer’s death was determined to be self-inflicted,” the County of Santa Clara, California, said in a statement provided to PEOPLE.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
